Naturopathic Doctors for Autoimmune Disease

You may be coping with an autoimmune disease like Hashimoto’s, Celiac Disease or Inflammatory Bowel Disease. You spend a lot of time on Google looking for why you have this condition and suggestions on minimizing symptoms, but you’re not really sure what’s worth your time and money.

There are a number of root causes that could be key contributors to your autoimmune condition. As naturopathic doctors, we’ll put together a plan designed specifically for your body that will deliver sustainable results for life. Natural medicine offers treatments to help manage symptoms, treat the root causes, and modulate the immune system and inflammatory response in your body.

Stealth Infections That Could Be Making You Sick Without You Knowing

One of the key considerations in autoimmune disease are hidden infections. Stealth infections can be making you sick, zapping your energy, and wreaking havoc on your immune system. These opportunistic infections have very common symptoms that can go undetected or even be misdiagnosed. Functional lab testing is an important first step to determine if you have one of these infections. Your Naturopathic Doctor can help you run these kinds of tests and create a treatment plan that is right for you.

Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO/IMO)

This infection happens when the microbiome in your small intestines becomes overrun with bad bacteria. Symptoms of SIBO include gas, bloating, abdominal cramping, fatigue, and inflammation. Sometimes SIBO can get misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome, food sensitivities, fibromyalgia, and other illnesses. In fact, one study showed that 80% of people suffering from these symptoms had SIBO.

There are several ways to test for SIBO. The easiest way is with hydrogen/methane breath testing. It is the most accurate because the bad bacteria produce methane that can be detected in your breath. Treating SIBO should be done under the care of your Naturopathic Doctor. The most effective approach is the 5R treatment protocol that removes problem foods, replaces them with healthy alternatives, reinoculates your gut with probiotics, repairs the damage with healing supplements, and rebalances your lifestyle. Diet is an important part of treating SIBO because reducing certain foods can dramatically reduce what the bad bacteria feed on.

Lyme

Lyme disease is primarily transmitted through the bite of infected ticks, particularly the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis), and is caused by the bacterium Borrelia. Lyme disease, a master of disguise among stealth infections, can affect anyone, anywhere, often eluding early detection due to its varied and mimicry-prone symptoms. This pathogen can evade the body's immune response, leading to chronic and debilitating conditions and often comes with a host of co-infections. Symptoms may range from fatigue, joint pain, and cognitive issues to more severe neurological and cardiac problems. Using sophisticated testing looking for multiple species of Borrelia increases the chances of correct diagnosis. Diagnosis and a holistic naturopathic approach employing herbal interventions, nutrition, and lifestyle modifications to restore vitality are critical, especially in its chronic stage.

Viruses (EBV/CMV/HHV)

There are nine viruses from the human herpesvirus family (HHV) that can have a big impact on your health. You are probably familiar with the first two strains because they cause cold sores and genital herpes. However, there are seven others in this same family that can impact your health without you knowing. HHV-4 is known as Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) and can cause Mononucleosis. Over 95% of the population has been exposed to EBV, although not everyone develops Mono. This virus causes overwhelming fatigue and swollen lymph nodes. Another strain of HHV is Cytomegalovirus (HHV-5). It can cause fatigue, headaches, and gastrointestinal distress.

There are functional tests for these infections that look for antibodies to the various HHV strains. Antibodies are the evidence that your body leaves behind when it tries to fight an infection. Treating these kinds of infections can be tricky because antibiotics don’t kill viruses. Antivirals might be used to suppress the virus, but a holistic approach is much more effective. Your Naturopathic Doctor will know how to support your immune system to help it fight active infections. The most important treatment for viruses is to keep your body in balance through diet, lifestyle, stress management, and high quality sleep.

Candida

Candida is a yeast infection in the digestive tract, skin, vagina, or mouth that can happen when the microbiome is out of balance. This fungal infection can result in gas, bloating, chronic diarrhea, rashes, itching, and even thrush. If an infection goes on long enough, it can produce symptoms of brain fog, mood disturbances, skin disorders, GI distress, chronic sinus infections, lowered immunity, and headaches.

Several kinds of tests can confirm a Candida infection, from immune tests to stool cultures. Because the symptoms of Candida can be attributed to many other kinds of illnesses, it is important to confirm the diagnosis. Treatment for Candida focuses on removing food sources such as sweets, carbs, and simple sugars. Probiotics and antimicrobials are used to eliminate the infection, while herbs like Slippery Elm can help heal the mucous lining of the stomach.

Mold

Molds are a diverse group of fungi that can grow in your home or other environments. A single mold spore under the right conditions can germinate and produce a fungal colony in less than a week.

Symptoms can mimic the cold, flu, seasonal allergies, or be more severe with extreme fatigue and depression. An ELISA immune test can look for antibodies to various mold strains. Mold exposure is more widespread than you might think. One study used the ELISA test on 112 patients diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and found that 93% of the participants tested positive for mold exposure.

It is important to see a doctor familiar with mycotoxins and environmental medicine. To treat mold, you must treat the environment. Mold spores are prolific. They can be in the walls, carpet, bedding - even jewelry, toys, books, and air ducts. Without removing mold from your home or other sources, you will continue to get re-infected and treatment will not be effective. Finally, it’s important to support your body with potent antioxidants, probiotics, liver support, and in some cases herbal antimicrobials. Supporting the detox organs like liver, kidney and lungs is also key. These vital organs will be responsible for clearing the mold out of your system once it begins to die off.

Parasites

Intestinal parasites live in the intestinal tract and feed off of your body, depleting you of nutrients and minerals. They can range from tape and pinworms to microscopic organisms. They can cause chronic diarrhea and weaken your immune system making you susceptible to major illness. Parasites can be transmitted in several ways: raw and undercooked food, untreated water, insects, household pets, or poor hygiene. It can be easier to test for parasites than some of the other stealth infections. A stool test can detect parasites in your system. Treatment consists of antiparasitic supplements or medications and removing any environmental factors that could contribute to reinfection. Once the infection is removed, it is important to support the body with probiotics, antioxidants, and nutrients that you may be deficient in due to the infection.

Stealth infections can be making and keeping you sick. It is very important to find a doctor that is experienced with these causes of illness so they can help determine what tests to run, and the best course of treatment depending on the results.

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